Global Rights has called on the Federal Government to implement the ECOWAS Court of Justice judgment on the 2020 #EndSARS protests and ensure accountability for the killing of protesters six years after the Lekki Toll Gate shootings.
The organisation also demanded compensation for victims and their families, transparent investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings by security personnel, and guarantees for citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
The Executive Director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu, made the demands in a statement issued on Tuesday to mark the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
Baiyewu expressed concern that accountability for the alleged atrocities committed during the protests remained elusive, while the demands that brought Nigerians to the streets in October 2020 had largely remained unmet.
According to the organisation, at least 135 protesters were extrajudicially killed across the country during the #EndSARS demonstrations.
It further alleged that the pattern of impunity had continued, citing the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests, during which it documented the killing of at least 31 protesters by police officers across several states and the arbitrary arrest of 1,135 protesters, including children as young as 13.
Global Rights said no one had been held accountable for those killings, adding that it had recorded at least 545 extrajudicial killings by security forces across the country since the August 2024 protests.
The organisation said the continued use of excessive force against protesters and the alleged impunity enjoyed by security personnel raised questions about the government’s commitment to addressing the grievances that triggered the #EndSARS movement.
The protests, which spread across Nigeria in 2020, were driven by demands for an end to police brutality, unlawful arrests, extortion, torture and the impunity allegedly enjoyed by security personnel.
Reflecting on the Lekki Toll Gate shootings, Baiyewu said the incident demonstrated the country’s failure to adequately protect the lives and fundamental rights of its citizens.
She recalled that the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, established to investigate the incident, found in its 2021 report that the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force were complicit in the shooting of unarmed protesters.
According to her, the panel documented alleged human rights violations and made recommendations on accountability, compensation for victims and security-sector reforms.
However, she said the Lagos State Government subsequently rejected key findings of the report.
Baiyewu also cited the 2024 judgment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which found Nigeria responsible for human rights violations arising from the incident and ordered a fresh investigation, prosecution of those responsible and compensation for victims.
She lamented that, two years after the judgment, the court’s orders had not been fully implemented and those responsible had yet to be held accountable through the process directed by the court.
The organisation further recalled that police officers allegedly harassed and arrested protesters who gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2024, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the shootings.
It maintained that the rights to life, freedom from torture and other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment, peaceful assembly and freedom of expression were binding obligations that the government must uphold.
The organisation warned that failure to ensure accountability for human rights violations could deepen public distrust in government and weaken national cohesion, particularly amid Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
To address the situation, Global Rights urged the Federal Government to immediately implement the ECOWAS Court judgment, establish public platforms for transparency on investigations into the Lekki shootings and other alleged extrajudicial killings, and provide effective reparations for victims and their families.
It also called on the government to guarantee citizens’ right to peaceful assembly.
The organisation further challenged the Lagos State Government to publicly explain its response to the recommendations of the judicial panel, indicating those implemented, those outstanding and the steps required to implement the remaining recommendations it accepted.
Baiyewu reaffirmed Global Rights’ commitment to standing with victims and their families in their pursuit of justice, insisting that no state institution should be above the law.
She said the organisation remained in solidarity with Nigerians demanding an end to police brutality and the protection of citizens’ rights to peaceful protest.
